Written in the Stars
by littlebluewhalen
Summary: A short one-shot for the couple that will never be. Just because they won't be together forever doesn't mean they can't be together for right now. Lukanette. This fic contains some mature themes.


**I have fallen down a lukanette hole. I still love the 'love square', don't get me wrong – and I have one-shots and the next chapter of LGNTDWI lined up too – nut lukanette is so sweet. Luka loves marinette for who she is and that's just the sweetest damn thing.**

**In this fic, luka is almost 20 and marinette is 18. They've known each other since mari was 14, have been close friends since she was 16 and he developed feelings for her when he turned 19. They're out of school in this fic.**

**Warning: there is light nsfw in this story. No graphic depictions, just a lightly descriptive snogging scene.**

**Anyway, here we go.**

**Song Inspiration:**

**Part-Time Lover by Dabin**

**Mistakes Like This by Prelow**

**I See You by Missio**

**Enjoy!**

**/**

Luka knew this wouldn't last. And, to some extent, he knew Marinette knew it, too. They were both simply lonely, lost, starved in their lives, and they somehow found each other to subsist on. Luka had had feelings for Marinette for months now, and they only grew stronger with every breath he breathed. He knew this wouldn't – couldn't – end well. He knew it would be a messy departure, an awful ordeal, but he wouldn't trade these moments for anything. To be young and to feel the love of another – whether it was the kind he desired or not – to feel her skin, her lips, her care… his first love. No, he'd never trade it, no matter what heartbreak he endured, no matter how long it took him to heal, no matter how bad the wounds hurt.

"Luka?" the soft voice asked, pulling him from his thoughts. He blinked twice and turned his head towards the melodic voice that had captured his heart. "You stopped playing." She added on, her eyes flicking towards his guitar. He blinked again.

They were on his bed, as they usually were. He was leaning back against his wall, his legs lazily propped up with his acoustic guitar in his lap. She was leant against his legs, her own tucked under her body, her sketchbook in her lap. His heart ached because it was such a familiar sight, but he knew she'd never be his girlfriend in a scene like this.

"I got lost in thought." He explained, deciding to absentmindedly pick at the guitar strings, playing chords he knew by heart. He saw her chew her lip in his periphery, which is something she always did before she asked him something.

"You don't have to tell me, but… are you okay?" She asked timidly, catching his stare. He gave her a soft half-smile, and leaned over, ruffling her hair quickly.

"It's bittersweet. But right now, I think I am." He said, moving back to lean against the wall. Marinette's eyes bore into his own, and he could tell she wanted to press further, but she conceded when her eyes darted back to her sketchbook. She shifted slightly, leaned more against him, and went back to sketching. Luka's eyes roved over her form, relishing in the feeling of being in love.

Yeah, she wasn't his. They weren't dating, though he knows that they practically are. He knows they're just screwing around, liking the touch and the presence of the other. He knows they're friends; close to best friends for sure, but romantically, they're nothing. He doesn't think she could ever give her heart to another other than Adrien. Of course, their relationship was a mess as well, perhaps even more disorganized than her and Luka's; but he was with Kagami for the time being (though, Luka suspected, this wasn't Adrien's will, and Adrien would much prefer to be with Marinette, too).

Luka could – and did – make her happy. But he knew the way he made her feel – safe, secure, protected – would never compare to the way that Adrien made her feel – warm, happy, exhilarated. He'd heard enough about _that_ for a lifetime. Luka was happy that his 'relationship' with Marinette had expanded outside of their little bubble, however; he'd been inducted into her circle of friends, and they'd all grown over the years. Luka was 19, nearing 20, and Marinette was 18. Too young to be experiencing all of the angst they'd had, for sure. But out of this inevitable crash-and-burn of his feelings, he'd made genuine connections with people, genuine friendships, through Marinette. He didn't think he'd ever stop being grateful for her. He was even friends with her beloved Adrien; he couldn't hold malice in his heart for the boy, as no one can control what they feel.

Luka knew he and Kagami wouldn't last. He knew that whatever he has with Marinette wouldn't last. He knew that Adrien and Marinette's love was written in the stars. He doesn't know what he would do when it all came crashing down, but, he figured he'd face that when it happened. For now, he'd bask in the feeling of her almost undivided attention, her warmth, _her_.

/

For the record, this was Marinette's idea.

She and Luka had been friends for about a year when he told her about his feelings for her. He didn't think it was fair to himself or her to hide them. He did, however, express that he valued their friendship more. And that was okay, for a time.

But Marinette – sweet little Marinette who had had her heart broken, who wasn't used to feeling the romantic love she harbored for so long – had begun to get curious. And so, she started asking innocent questions, like, _'why me? When? How?'_ and with each question, she got just a little bit closer to his heart.

Luka knew she had some type of feelings towards him, but he also knew that they paled in comparison to her feelings for Adrien. When he told her as much, she surprised him with a,

'_Can't we try?'_

Maybe she didn't understand the implications of what that would do to him, and maybe he didn't tell her. Because when you're this close to the sun, you don't turn your back and make your wings melt faster.

So it started in little things. Holding hands and good morning texts, nervous hang outs and blushing, innocent kisses. As is the nature of all things, it evolved. It adapted to the hurt that she felt, and Luka was simply the tide, being pulled and pushed by the moon that he revered. He never questioned, never asked what exactly they were to her. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

In his mind, he'd dubbed them 'Part-Time Lovers'. They found each other when they needed to, when the hurt was too much, but they weren't entirely dedicated to each other. Luka thought that maybe this entire situation was unfair to him, but he went into this, knowing that they weren't dating. He knew and accepted the terms she laid out. She was confused, and felt _something_, but she didn't know what. She laid It all out on the table, and like a starving man, he ate it in one fell swoop. He took what he could get, even though he knew he'd be crushed in the end.

He could never bring himself to regret it as he held her at night, tightly against his own body.

/

Hungry hands found territory to claim as their own as they roamed the expanse of land that was laid out before them, palming and scratching and needing. Small pants and whines sounded from the bed below-deck as the two bodies tangled and got lost in each other.

Luka propped himself up above her, panting with exertion, drinking in every detail about her. She was breathing heavily, eyes lidded with desire, face pink with effort. His eyes roved her face, committing every curve and freckle to memory. Her arms were still hooked behind his neck, where his wild hair fell.

"Enough looking," Marinette said roughly, snapping him from his trance, "Kiss me again." She demanded, and suddenly jerked his head down to meet hers, her hands knotting themselves in his hair. He used one arm to keep himself propped up and used the other hand to trace up and down her naked side, creating a trail of goosebumps in his wake. He nipped lightly at her lips and worked his way down. He'd discovered that neck and collarbone kisses are her favorite part of foreplay, so of course he indulged her. He set to work, placing light kisses all over her neck, jawline and collarbone, before nipping at her ear and changing his tune. He then before to suck at the skin at the junction of her collarbone and the base of her neck, nipping at the bone, sucking and biting wherever he could. Her little gasps, her noises, the burning red scratches she painted on his back as she raked her hands down, made this entire thing worth it. Because he knew that no one would ever see her exactly as he saw her in this moment. Beautiful, raw, full of power and love and everything in between.

/

This wasn't an unfamiliar scene, the two of them in bed together. They were with each other more often than not, these days; sometimes they did homework together, or worked on their hobbies, or simply enjoyed each other's presence. Sometimes they went out with their friends, and sometimes they kissed the night away. The two had almost mastered the art of being alone together, as two who so often seek comfort in the other do.

They were so cozy, wrapped up in blankets, listening to the music that softly filtered through the radio. They were on his bed, leaning back against his pillows, against the wall. Luka was sat up and Marinette was leaning into him, on his chest, with her legs propped up, a book in her lap.

Marinette was in a big sweater and leggings and she had made herself a warm home out of Luka's left side. He, in turn, had his right arm wrapped around her waist, settling his notebook on her left leg, using his left hand to hold it still as he wrote lyrics for a new song for his band. His head was snuggled onto her left shoulder, looking down at the notebook. Luka knew she was only leaning on half of him, but damn if she wasn't his whole heart.

It was quiet in the room, the only sounds being the music on the radio and his hums to songs he recognized. The water that rocked the houseboat gently lapped at the sides, and the crackling of the candles around the room accompanied the music in being the only sounds in the sanctity of Luka's room. Marinette had her eyes glued to the book she was currently reading, apparently enthralled with the story. Luka thought that this is what home really must have felt like: a room that had become 'theirs' more than 'his', encompassing their complete trust and love towards each other.

That was why, in this little nest they'd created together, Luka jumped whenever she broke the peace. It wasn't that she spoke, no, her voice was his favorite sound; it was what she said.

"My parents want to go out with us to get to know you a little better, even though they've met you so many times. Would you be okay with that?" Marinette asked, quick as lightning. He looked at her with widened eyes, shock-still as if she'd electrocuted him. And, maybe she did; his heart and mind were short-circuiting. Soon, the tranquility of the evening passed back over them as he failed to form a coherent thought, much less a sentence. Marinette's cheeks were dusted with pink, and her eyes were still glued to her book, though he vaguely realized he hadn't heard the flip of the page in quite a while. She must have been working up the courage to ask him this.

"I mean, I don't mind, but why? We're not dating." He said, confusedly. And how badly he wished that statement wasn't true. He saw a frown appear on Marinette's face and she snuggled into his side harder, almost stubbornly, trying to make some kind of point. Her eyes flicked to his as she held his gaze.

"We might as well be. Listen, I… I don't know if I'll ever get over Adrien, and I don't even know how far this," she motioned at the two of them, "will go. But… it feels like dating. You're everything a boyfriend is supposed to be, and we're everything that a relationship is. And I just… I'm tired of halfway. I at least want to try to officially date. And I know this is unfair because your feelings are stronger than mine, but, I don't want to use you as a release or an escape anymore. I like you, Luka, I like you as a person. You're not just a tool for me to forget about Adrien, you deserve more, so much more, and so much better than that. My hearts' been torn in so any directions for so long, and I'm tired of it. For once I want to follow it down a path and be _happy_ about it. And, you know what? Maybe I like home and warmth and safety and comfort. You're all of that, and I love that you're all of that. Because you're like a stream, slow and steady and softly bubbling, a home to many, but also rushing and twisting and turning and _exhilarating_. You're exciting, you're the soft sunshine on a light spring day, not the harsh burning of midday summer. And that's okay, because you're all of it, and I want that." Marinette rushed out, her face becoming redder and redder as she realized what she was saying. Her eyes were now glued to her hands, though she didn't move from his side.

Marinette had a habit of rambling whenever she's nervous, often times about nothing, but to Luka, it was always something. And boy, was this _something_. The gears in Luka's brain tried to chug along, slowly processing everything she just tossed at him, and he felt like arrows hit him from every direction with every word she said. She was quick and stuttered and stumbled over her words, but he understood her, and he always would, because he hears her in every aspect that she needed him to. Luka beamed, and for once, he felt like sunshine, too.

"Well that's music to my ears. When do they want to go out?" He asked smoothly, pulling his arm tighter, rolling her on top of him and sinking lower into his pillows. His notebook and her book and fallen off the sides of the bed, but he simply didn't care. She looked into his face, searching for any source of doubt, but looked into his smile, and she kissed him, grinning away with him. Laughter bubbled up from both of them, disrupting the serenity of the night, replacing the air with a giddy kind of happiness.

Luka knew it wouldn't last, he knew it would wreck him, destroy him, crush him in the worst ways. It was written in the cosmos, in ancient legends, in the fabric of existence that she and Adrien would be together, but he didn't care. He had her right now, and right now is all he could care about.

And she had just asked to properly date him.

/

**Okay, that's it. May post some companion pieces to this later on, but for right now, that's all I have. Some companion pieces I'm considering writing are: a more extensive look at the sexual side of their relationship (kuzu no honkai style, also based on my own experiences dealing with a broken heart and a fuck buddy), and the inevitable break-up and fall out (because Adrien and Marinette are destined to be, but that doesn't make it any easier). I don't typically like to write angst, so I may or may not write that. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**

**littlebluewhalen x**


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